Britain, Germany reopen embassies in Yemen

International

IANS

Posted By: IANS

Updated: Monday, August 19, 2013, 9:39 [IST]

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Sana'a, Aug 19: Nearly two weeks after closing down their missions in Yemen over security reasons, following intercepted communication between suspected terrorist groups, Britain and Germany reopened their embassies in Yemen Sunday, Xinhua reported.

The Yemeni government has boosted security presence around western nation's embassies in the capital as precautionary measures since the US and Britain temporarily evacuated their diplomatic staff from here.

The British embassy reopened for normal business on Sunday, said British Ambassador to Yemen Jane Marriott, adding that the embassy had been closed from Aug. 6 over the Eid period due to increased security threat.

"My team and I have been in regular contact with Yemeni ministers and officials, and we are glad to be back and working in Yemen after this brief hiatus," she said.

On Aug 6, the British government ordered its entire embassy staff in Yemen to leave the country, following potential terrorist threat from Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, the German embassy in Sana'a also announced its reopening on Sunday. However, the US and French embassies in the Yemen capital city remained closed.

On Aug 4, the US State Department ordered the closure of 22 diplomatic missions in Middle East and North African regions. The move was to cope up with potential terrorist threat, based on intercepted communications purported to be between Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahri and Nasser Wuhayshi, head of the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Though the US reopened 18 of the 19 embassies and consulates on Aug 9, but the US embassy in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a remained closed "because of ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from Al- Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula".